Friend or Foe:Enlighten me
by EspoirDio
Summary: This story contains bits from the movie and the book.It's mainly Richter/OC, but Langdon and Vetra also play a big part!;
1. Mickey's ticking

**Hiya guys!:) This is a story I wrote...well...in May when the movie came out,and I got slightly obsessed with Richter's I read the book which I also quite liked. So this contains bits from the book as well as bits from the movie. I'm not too good at starting stories,but it usually gets better!;) So please read and review!:)**

**Disclaimer: All the characters and stuff belong to Dan Brown,I just quickly borrowed them...but obviously ain't making money from it or anything.**

Mickey's ticking

When they stormed the Castle of Angels everything seemed to be happening in a blur. They had come with a strong police force but soon they were scattered everywhere,trying to find the hassassin's lair. By the time Robert Langdon had stumbled across the hidden passage,there were only a handful of men from the Swiss Guard following him,Commandante Richter always being right behind him. Eventually they found the church of the Illuminati and the kidnapped Vittoria Vetra. She lay completely still chained to the sofa,however when she saw Robert and the Swiss Guard entering her eyes lit up. Her joy was only shortlived,for in the shadows the hassassin was lurking. With cat-like grace and agility he moved through the Swiss Guard soldiers,killing one by one without batting an eyelid.

"Stop immediately!" Richter said,his voice raised and pulled out his gun.

"Ha,even if you kill me it will mean nothing considering the grand theme of things." the hassassin hissed "this is god's will."

And with one big leap he attacked Richter,dagger drawn aiming for his heart. Richter managed to duck away but the hassassin was too quick for him. He turned in midair,kicked the gun out of his hand and slashed the dagger into Richter's leg. The cry of pain caught Robert's attention who had rushed over to free Vittoria. He saw Richter kneeling down,clutching his injured leg and then he saw the triumphant look on the hassassin's face as he flipped the dagger in his hand,slowly approaching his victim. And then Robert saw the gun that had fallen out of Richter's hand,lying only a meter away from him. Time seemed to stop as he jumped forward,grabbed hold of the gun and pulled the trigger,the hassassin was dead before he hit the floor.

After Robert had freed Vittoria ,he had walked over to Richter and pulled him up and carefully moved him to one of the chairs. Richter had then called the rest of the police force as well as a doctor via his walkie-talkie. After his leg was bandaged they began to search the church but what they found there surprised them all. Hidden in the back of the church were the 4 brandmarks but that wasn't all. While Robert's eye fell immediately on the fifth brandmark,Richter found a body. At first he feared the young woman in front of him was dead,but then he saw her chest rising and falling.

"She's alive." he whispered.

Alive she was indeed but barely. He softly touched her arm and turned her around. In addition to her punctured heels her thighs contained several red marks,almost like fingerprints,as if someone had forcefully touched her. She wore almost nothing,just the bare essentials,enabling him to see circle-like holes in her tummy. Instantly he took off the shirt he was wearing and,carefully lifting the frail woman,dressed her in it. When he went to put on his jacket again he saw blood on his hands and to his dread he saw that it was coming from a wound on her head.

"Chadrant!Dottore Maggio come here!Pronto!" he yelled.

When he turned his attention back to the young woman,he looked into a pair of darkbrown eyes,she was terrified.

"Don't worry." he whispered "we're here to help you." But she was gone again.

When she woke up again she dreaded to open her eyes. But she could feel she was in a different place,the air around her was much warmer and not as moist as the Castle had been. Finally opening her eyes she saw darkness staring back at her. She didn't know where she was or who she was,nor did she know about the battle with the camerlegno raging inside the Vatican at this very moment,but she remembered one thing:a pair of piercing blue eyes.


	2. Sad eyes

**Hiya guys!:) I really didn't think I'd get a review that quickly,so thank you very much for that!:) I just love Richter,Stellan Skarsgard's amazing!;) **

**So um...I might update this quite quickly...coz I've already written about...14 chapters. The thing's just when I upload stuff to it keeps cutting off the end of my sentences,so I gotta do that again...so there will only be one chapter update per day!;) But yeah,keep reviewing please!:)**

**Disclaimer:Yup,I still don't own anything here...well just Giglia really,coz she's my own creation!;)**

_The man with sad eyes and the girl without a name_

She lay awake for a few minutes but slowly the pain started coming back. Almost every inch of her body seemed to be aching or burning. Carefully she moved her hand up to her head and felt a thick bandage.

"Who am I?" she whispered into the darkness,even her own voice seemed to startle her. She closed her eyes,trying desperately to remember something...anything, but the only thing that came to mind was the strange man and soon she drifted off to sleep. She woke up again a little while later but it was still dark inside the room,she opened her eyes a bit more and found that she wasn't alone in the room. She quietly lifted her head which sent even more pain shooting through it,but she tried to ignore it as best as she could,just long enough for her to get a glimpse of the figure cloaked in darkness. It was a man sitting hunched in his chair,he was breathing regularly and was fast asleep,a moment later she recognised him as the man with the sad eyes,who had rescued her. She smiled inadvertently and fell asleep knowing she was safe.

She could tell,without opening her eyes,that it was the next morning-the warmth on her face told her so. Eventually she opened her eyes,half expecting to see the hunched figure still sleeping in the chair,but instead a pair of sparkly green eyes met her gaze.

"Good morning." he said softly "my name is Robert Langdon and you don't have to be afraid,you are safe here...the man who kidnapped you is dead."

She could only nodd wearily.

"I hope you understand what I'm saying."

She nodded again ,smiling softly.

"What's your name?" he continued asking.

"I had hoped that you could tell me." she smiled upon hearing her voice,it was strangely beautiful just like the rest of her appearance.

"No,I'm afraid we don't. When we found you in the church of the Illuminati there weren't any documents,no ID...nothing...Commandante Richter searched the entire church. And you don't remember anything?"

"No...I'm sorry. My head feels so foggy...and it hurts a lot too." she sighed and paused.

"Don't try too hard." Robert said gently "it might only make things worse. How are you feeling?"

"Not that good...everything seems to hurt but at least it's warm here." she smiled and then after a while added:"Commandante Richter...is that the man with the sad eyes?"

Robert couldn't help but chuckle.

"Richter is the man who found you.I'd say his eyes are cold but...whatever..."

"No...they are sad...and deep...he's hurt." she whispered quietly.

At that very moment Richter entered the room.

"Who's hurt?" he asked neutrally.

The woman looked quietly from him to Langdon and started blushing. Then ,when no-one else spoke she quietly repeated: "You are hurt."

He looked at her in surprise and lifted his trousers thinking she was talking about his wound.

"It's not important." he then said harshly "Langdon I told you to get me immediately when the girl's awake."

Robert shook his head in annoyance.

"I wanted to make sure she's ok."

"You get attached too easily,Langdon,that's your weakness. She isn't here to be cuddled,we keep her here until we know if she's a threat or not." Richter said cooly "until then I have more important matters to attend to." And with these words he left.

"Sad eyes my ass." Robert said rolling his eyes "that guy's just a jerk."

"No...he cares,Mr Langdon. He was here the entire night." the woman whispered. There was a silence while she thought about Richter's words. Then Robert said:

"You know what?I think I will call you Giglia."


	3. Windows to the soul

**Well, I promised I would update on a daily basis-so here's the second chapter!;) Um...I know this story takes some time before it properly gets going but just bear with me, ok? I promise you a proper storyline will develop in the next chapter!:)**

**Keep reviewing please!:)**

_Windows to the soul_

Giglia was extremely grateful to have Robert at her side. He came to the hospital every morning and every evening to look after her.

"Robert,why are you doing this?" she asked him one evening.

"Why am I doing what?" he replied in return.

"Well..you know?You come here and you look after me and you seem eager to find out more about me...to see what I can remember."

"I just thought you needed some company...I mean you don't know anyone and I couldn't just leave you and I certainly don't regret it,if that's where you're heading,you are a very nice person."

She smiled sadly. "Thanks...so you don't think I'm a threat to you?"

Robert placed his hand on top of hers.

"Gi,Richter isn't a very nice person,on top of that he's extremely blunt as well. But don't let his words hurt you,ok?I just think that recent activities have made him even more suspicious of his environment."

"Recent activities?" Giglia repeated.

"Yes...concerning the catholic church but you don't have to worry about that now. Just concentrate on getting better."

Giglia chuckled softly. "You don't have to protect me,you know?My wounds are healing,I will be fine in no time...so why don't you just tell me what's been going on?"

"It's very complicated..." Robert started "in a nutshell...the man who kidnapped you was a hassassin hired by the pope's camerlegno to brand and kill the 4 preferiti."

"Why would he do that?" Giglia asked "and why brand them...?"

"I told you it would be complicated." Robert said grinning "it's an old illuminati threat..."

And he began telling the story.

That night Giglia couldn't sleep. She lie awake thinking about Robert's story...the story of the illuminati.

"The illuminati brands." she whispered quietly,wondering if Richter considered her to be a member of this secret society. She turned around trying to sleep,but her head was throbbing and her throat was hurting.

Eventually she got out of bed and made her way to the toilette facitilies which lay just across the corridor. She went to the sink and drank a bit of water,but her throat still felt scratchy and sore. Turning towards the mirror,she studied her own reflection. Soft brown eyes were staring back at her and curls of gold-blonde hair were falling through gaps in the bandage. She sighed,kneeling down to get a closer look at her punctured heels. Carefully she brushed over them with her finger,little red dots that marked the place where something had put a hole into her heel.

_"And the treacherous whore was crucified up side down,stakes driven through her feet,for someone as beautiful could only be pure evil." _words were echoing through her mind. She didn't know where they were coming from,the throbbing in her head grew stronger and stronger. She looked up again into the mirror. She was tall but extremely skinny,she looked almost fragile wrapped in the big white shirt she was wearing.

"Commandante Richter." she whispered,gently brushing over the soft fabric. But suddenly there was blood,blood on her hands and on the shirt. She lifted it to reveal the circle bruises on her stomach and for a split second she saw an image. The bruises connected to a neat circle,with parallel lines,like rays of the sun. And in the middle there were 2 words "_Lucia diavolo". _"Suddenly there were voices in her head,chanting,screaming,growing louder and louder.

"Mr Langdon,I thought you were taking care of her,making sure she was alright." Giglia could hear faint voices arguing in the distance.

"Commandante,I come to see her every morning and every evening. She was fine,she complained about a slight headache and the possible beginning of a cold,which frankly doesn't surprise me,we don't know how long he had kept her in that wet,cold church of his." Then the voices faded away again and she was back in the cool darkness of unconsciousness.

Suddenly someone was touching her,ripping at her shirt.

"No!" she breathed "no...stop!"

Then she heard his voice,soothing...calming her down.

"Quiet,quiet my child." he said "I won't hurt you."

And she opened her eyes.

"Commandante." she cried,sudden relief washing over her "you came back."

His blue eyes were shining in the dark,disguising what he was thinking.

"I came with some fresh clothes,there's blood on this shirt." he explained and gestured towards it. Giglia shook her head.

"No,I want to wear this. It 's warm and comfortable and it makes me feel safe."

He turned away ,almost embarassed by her words. After a while he cleared his throat.

"I think you should sleep some more,your body needs to rest."

"Ok,I will." she nodded in agreement "but Commandante...I'm no threat to you...and you know that. I wish you would stop pretending that you don't care,when it's so obvious to me that you do."

And with these words she turned to face the wall,a smile crossing her face when she heard that he sat down on the chair next to the bed.


	4. Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo

**Sooo,next chapter's up!:) What d'you guys think,huh? Pleasseee keep reviewing so that I know if it's worh it to upload more of it!;)**

**Thank you!**

_Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo_

Richter was still there when she woke up. He sat facing the window lost in thoughts.

"Thanks for being here the entire night." Giglia quietly broke the silence.

"I fell asleep." he replied without looking at her.

"Well,you must have." she said smiling "but you could've just left which you didn't."

"That's not important.I wouldn't jump to conclusions." Richter said finally turning around.

She shrugged and smiled quietly pulling her legs to her chest. He watched her silently,secretly admiring how someone so bruised and beaten could still be omitting such radiant warmth. Giglia noticed his eyes resting on her and,misinterpreting his glance,said:

"You probably want your shirt back,Commandante." He looked nonplussed.

"It's just a shirt.I have dozens more at home...it doesn't matter."

She looked at him,hurt shining in her eyes.

"I don't think so." she contradicted "it's the shirt you wrapped me in when you found me. You were worried about me and scared I might die. And this shirt proves to me it means a lot more because you mean a lot more."

Awkward silence ensued which was broken when Robert stepped into the room.

"Gi,you're awake!" he exclaimed beaming at her and then noticing Richter he added "I'm not intruding,am I?"

"What could you be possibly intruding on?" Richter huffed and got to his feet "I was just leaving in anyway."

"What was that all about?" Robert asked confused,sitting down on the edge of Giglia's bed.

"His shirt." she replied sighing which didn't help Robert a great deal.

"But the most important thing is that you're awake." he continued smiling "I was very worried about you. It seems to be the cold that you're developing..."

Giglia nodded thinking about the strange situation in the bathroom..."_Lucia Diavolo_"-the devil's light...the voices,she still couldn't find a plausible answer.

"Giglia,have you been listening to me?" Robert asked observing her closely.

"Um no...I'm sorry Robert,I was miles away."

"Not with Richter,I hope." he said through gritted teeth "I said I found an apartment. Near the Vatican City in la viale dei bastioni di michelangelo,it's a big apartment 4 rooms with a kitchen and a bathroom."

Giglia smiled happily "Good I'm glad,will you be living with Ms Vetra?"

Robert blushed instantly. "No,Vittoria is back in Geneve but she'll be visiting.I was more thinking about you?You will need a place to live and...I think we're getting on fairly well,so if you don't mind?"

Giglia beamed at him and gave him a big hug. "Of course,Robert!I'd love that!"

"Fantastic!So I'll just move everything in and then we can rent a car and I can drive you there."

"Sounds great!" she said smiling.

Later that night when she was just drifting off to sleep she heard a soft knock on her door.

"Come in." she called softly. But she was surprised to find that it was Richter who entered,he was the last person she had expected to see.

"You're sleeping,I will come another time." he said turning around.

"No,Commandante,wait!I'm not yet sleeping." she replied smiling and gestured towards the chair.

"Ms Giglia about this morning...I'm not someone who expresses...these kind of thoughts very openly. ,he said calmly.

"But I am." Giglia said,she could see how vulnerable he was,something hurtful must have happened in the past "and I will express it just as openly as you will express any other opinion."

To her surprise a smile appeared on his face as he whispered "Touché."

She couldn't believe how a simple smile changed him,he seemed to lose a few years,little wrinkles appeared around his eyes ,a reminder of happier times.

"You should smile more often,Commandante." she voiced gently.

"How are you feeling?" he asked in return completely ignoring her remark.

"I'm better,not ideal but...what did you say this morning...ah yes "it's not imporant"."

"But of course it is." he admitted silently.

"I'm feeling better,Robert helped a great deal,he suggested we'd move into an appartment together,isn't that wonderful?"

"Yes,Mr Langdon seems to care a great deal about you." Richter said trying to ban the hint of jealousy from his otherwise neutral tone.

"Sure,he's a great friend...Ms Vetra and him would make a wonderful couple...but she's back in Geneve so Robert and I will be sharing a place...it's in la viale dei bastioni di Michelangelo,just next to the Vatican City."

"Yes,I know this street. It 's very close to the vatican museums and the palazzi vaticani." Giglia smiled nodding.

"And it's very close to you."


	5. The name of the game

**Right, this is a slightly longer chapter. But I still hope you guys enjoy it. But while we're on that matter- is anyone actually still reading this? Just let me know please, coz if no-one's interested anymore,I won't update and bother you with it!;) Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything, not Robert Langdon, not Vittoria, and sadly also not Richter!:( However, Giglia's mine!*muahaha***

_The name of the game_

From that moment on a lot of things seemed to change .A few weeks later,once she had overcome her cold and her head wound was steadily healing,Robert picked her up from the hospital and drove them to their new appartment. Viale dei Bastioni di Michelangelo 14 was a beautiful old building with large rooms and big windows. It had a fully equipped kitchen and a spacious bathroom. Robert had already begun decorating the living room,with photos of his travels around the world as well as paintings and several other accesories,it was painted in a warm red colour and the dinner table and chairs were made out of beautiful mahagony wood. Additionally he had used the space for his own little study,now that he had helped the Vatican they had allowed him access to the archives and Robert was determined to write part 2 of his book about the Illuminati.

Their rooms were relatively small compared to the rest of the appartment but they were a good shelter from the hot weather outside. Even the bathroom,that had been looking blank to begin with soon looked charmingly homey,especially with the Mickey Mouse shower curtain which Giglia had bought to tease Robert. All things considered Giglia felt very happy,she had a wonderful appartment,a nice housemate and her wounds were healing. Therefore, it was only natural that she pushed certain things away...things that troubled her,like the weird image she had seen before she had fainted...or the fact that her heels were still burning which made it very painful to walk which,however,she managed to hide very well. A voice in her head told her that something was wrong with those wounds and that perhaps she should tell someone,but she didn't want to worry anyone and more importantly,she didn't want to deal with it herself.

One day when the weather in Rome wasn't as unbearably hot as usual,Robert had decided to work on his book while Giglia was watching TV,when it suddenly knocked on the door.

Shouting: "I get it!" to Robert she got to her feet and opened the door.

"Oh hello Commandante." she said positively beaming upon seeing him "what a lovely surprise."

He smiled a little and shoved two crutches into her hands.

"There,I thought with the weather being so mild today,I could take you out for a walk?" He said all that in a strangely monotone voice,trying to disguise how nervous he was truly feeling.

"Of course,I'd love to get out of the house." And grabbing her keys she shouted "I'll be back later,Robert!"

A muffled reply came from the study and Giglia and Richter left the appartment. They went to take a walk in the nearby gardens. Although Giglia was hobbling slowly,she still enjoyed every minute of it.

"So tell me Commandante,why haven't I seen you around lately?"

"Well,I thought you would probably be too busy moving in with Robert...and you musn't forget either,that I have got a job to do."

She smiled. "Of course,I'm sorry if it sounded selfish.I just would've liked to have seen you around more often."

"_Likewise" _he thought to himself. While they were walking Giglia noticed that Richter always kept a certain distance to her. He never greeted her with anything involving bodily contact,not even a handshake. And now that she was limping around he had asked if she was doing alright and if she needed assistance,but never had he moved in closer to help her.

_"It's almost as if he's afraid to touch me." _she thought sadly.

Soon the sun started to disappear behind a wall of clouds,casting a dark shadow where they were walking. Richter still didn't show any signs of wanting to return,until the soft drizzle of rain turned into a whole flood.

"Oh dear..." Giglia breathed turning around to face him "we should probably..."

"Go back,yes." Richter agreed. But only after a few meters he stopped again.

"Here,put my jacket on,it might protect you from the rain." he said and held it out to her. Gratefully Giglia took the jacket and put it around her shoulders. Nonetheless ,by the time they reached the appartment his shirt was soaked and her hair was dripping with rain.

"You should get out of this wet shirt." Giglia commented while putting his jacket to dry by the fire "I'm sure Robert will lend you one of his shirts."

Richter simply nodded and started unbuttoning his shirt. Giglia left to get changed herself and,having put on a bathrobe she knocked on Robert's door.

"I didn't hear you come back home." Robert said smiling at her.

"Yes,we got caught in the rain. Listen ,could you possibly give me one of your shirts?Commandante Richter's shirt is completely soaked."

"Oh yes sure,no problem make sure that he returns it,won't you?"

Giglia playfully rolled her eyes. "Of course,Robert."

And,holding the fresh shirt in her hand as well as a towel,she returned to the living room.

"Here you go." she said offering them to Richter while trying to ignore the feeling stirring inside her upon seeing his naked chest. He nodded in response and put the towel around his shoulders. They sat there in an awkward silence,until Giglia quietly said :" Your hair is all wet."

And despite her better knowledge she reached out to brush through it. It felt soft and moist and Giglia was almost relieved when he got up,put on the shirt and excused himself.

After he was gone she sat down by the fire on her own until Robert entered the room.

"Hey,is everything ok?" he asked softly ,sitting down next to her.

"I'm not sure." she admitted quietly.

"Tell me,is it about Richter?" and when she didn't replied he added: "I can see how you're looking at him and how you miss him when he isn't around."

Giglia let out a deep sigh. "It's complicated..."

"How can it be complicated?You like him,don't you?" Robert asked.

"Well...how about you and Ms Vetra?"

"That's...complicated..."

"Although you like her?" Giglia asked triumphantly smiling softly at him.

Richter felt as if he had just escaped in time. He couldn't stand her closeness,he always tried to stay away from her as far as possible,even though he knew that she was a touchy person,hugging Robert,hugging Vittoria but he had to keep her at bay. The simple contact this afternoon had shown him what would be happening if he allowed her to get close to him. She had only brushed through his hair and yet...the air around him seemed to be glistening with electricity,her touch so soft and gentle...she shouldn't know what want it had stirred in him. _" If it was only lust,I could deal with it." _he thought bitterly. But the thing that had really scared him was the fact that he didn't just want her body,he wanted to see her smile,he wanted to see her cry and be able to hold her,he wanted her...all of her.


	6. From unknown identities

**Well guys,as long as there's just one of you out there reading this story I promised I'll keep updating it!;) So here's the next chapter!Please review!:)**

**Disclaimer:I don't own anything...just Giglia's my creation!;)**

_From unknown identities and complicated invites_

The next day Robert took Giglia to an ice cream parlour near the plaza of the Trevi fountain to provide her with some distraction from the,yet again,strange behaviour Richter had been displaying. They sat outside in the sun,enjoying their ice cream,Robert was watching the tourists while Giglia took a closer look at the beautiful architecture around her. All of it,the old buildings of rome,the art and craft seemed to familiar to her and yet so strange.

"You know Robert,it makes me feel sad..." He shot her a questioning look but waited for her to continue.

"Well I...I can't remember Rome...I remember the sights,as I was a tourist or something and yet...there are other buildings that I feel a certain connection with,but I can't put my finger on it...mostly the buildings around the Vatican it's just so frustrating,you know?For all I know I might have been born here,but I can't remember it,but then again,I might be from somewhere else. But why can I speak English as well as Italian?Can I speak any other language?It's just all so confusing."

Robert nodded and gave her one of his most encouraging smiles.

"It'll come to you in time." he reassured her.

"Mmh...I guess so.I just can't forget Richter's words either...what if I was part of the Illuminati?What if I promised him I wasn't a threat,when in fact I am?"

Robert looked at her for a moment with his observant green eyes.

"Giglia,I know you see something in him that I don't....but even if that's so,you shouldn't pressure yourself. As for the other thing...you have to know that the Illuminati weren't bad people in the first place,they were killed and hunted down by the church,they were scientists,mathematicians...so even if you should've been part of the Illuminati,I highly doubt it that you were one of the more radical ones...you may not know who you are but I know you,the person that is sitting in front of me at this moment,and I like her,a lot."

She looked down slightly embarassed and was just about to thank him when his mobile phone rang.

"Langdon?" he answered and then immediately started getting fidgety "oh hello the weather really is beautiful."

Giglia couldn't help but smile when he gave her a sign that he was going to go for a little walk.

_"When will these two finally get together?" _she wondered quietly. When Robert returned he was grinning from one ear to the next.

"Vittoria's coming to visit." he explained excitedly.

"That's fantastic!" Giglia replied beaming at him.

"Yes,apparently there's gonna be a ball in the Pontificia Accademia delle Scienze to celebrate the new pope's reign as well as the succesful process of stopping the Illuminati threat...well,finding out that it was the camerlegno."

"Accademia delle Scienze?" Giglia asked surprisedly.

"Yes,apparently the church wants to show that they accept the role of science,by housing the ball in a scientific building."

"And Vittoria's coming here just for the ball?"

"Well,no..." Robert admitted blushing slightly "she wants to tell me about her new project as well as to go to the ball with me."

"Good,I'm happy for you ,Robert. And I'm looking forward to seeing her again."

A few more days passed and Giglia still didn't hear from Richter. However ,the ball was approaching rapidly ,so she decided to take matters into her own hands and went to the main central of the Swiss Guard. What she didn't expect was that one couldn't just walk into the headquarters. She was just about to enter the building,when one of the guards,dressed in the traditional uniform,stepped into her way.

"Non è permesso entrare in questa propria." he warned her,spear raised.

"Um...would you kindly inform Commandante Richter that Giglia is here to see him."

"Lui è disponibile."

"But he knows me,I'm sure if you told him ,he'd let me come through."

"Non è possibile." Giglia started getting fed up and rolled her eyes.

"Permettetemi di passare subito!Ti ho detto che lui mi conosce." But the guard didn't flinch one bit.

"Scusami!" she said and pulled his hat down into his face,using his moment of shock to sneak into the building. Once inside she started running,trying to find the way to Richter's office as quickly as possible. By the time she reached it and saw him sitting in his chair,focussing on his laptop,the guard had caught up with her. Harshly he grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Non mi tocchi!Lasciami andare immediatamente!Idiota!" Luckily for her,Richter heard the commotion outside and when he saw her,he immediately sent the guard away and waved her into his office.

"How on earth did you manage to get even this far?" he exclaimed but she could see amusement twinkling in his eyes.

"You wouldn't believe me,if I told you." she replied ashamed.

"So,to what do I owe this surprising pleasure?" he asked quietly.

"Oh,I just came to say hi." she lied but knew immediately that this was a stupid answer,given the fact that she had just overcome a guard only to have a "chitchat"with Richter. So she added as neutrally as possible: "Have you heard about the ball they are giving for the pope?"

"mmh...I have indeed." he seemed to hesitate for a moment but when she didn't say anything either he added: "I'm guessing that Robert's going."

Giglia nodded in response."Yeah...oh and Ms Vetra will be coming as well."

"Nice..." Richter said but didn't exactly sound convinced. Another awkward silence ensued.

"A friend of mine,Angelina will be going as well." Richter then continued.

_"Great...a female friend" _Giglia thought _"now I can't ask him"_...

All in all it turned out to be a rather unsuccesful meeting for the two of them.


	7. Masquerades and other small tragedies

**First of all I just wanna say thank you SO much to the people who are reviewing-it means a lot to me!:) I'm back now from the Reading Week Break n shall try to update as often as possible!;) But please keep reviewing n tell me what you like and what you don't like-I will try to get better!Thank you!:)**

**Disclaimer:Giglia's still mine n I luv her!;) The others belong to Dan Brown!**

_Masquerades and other small tragedies_

Giglia left the Swiss Guard headquarters in a very glum mood,the rest of the time Richter and her had just been sitting there making half hearted small talk,but neither of them seemed to be all that interested anymore. Giglia quietly entered the appartment and walked in the dark to her in the doorway she spotted the dress she had bought for the ball staring at her mockingly from the opposite side of the room. It was a beautiful dress too,royal blue with sparkly rhimestones on it,a bit low cut and on kneelength,giving her the chance to show off her long legs as well as enabling her to dance in it. But right now she wasn't even sure she wanted to go to the ball anymore.

"Hey." someone whispered and made her jump but when she turned around she stood face to face with Vittoria Vetra.

"Bona notte,it's good to see you." she said smiling beside herself.

Vittoria returned her smile and said:"I didn't mean to startle you,but Robert's out like a light and I just wanted to say hi and see how you were doing. You look wonderful."

"Well,I must look wonderful considering that last time you saw me Commandante Richter had found me half dead in the church of the Illuminati." Giglia replied dryly.

Vittoria grinned: "True,but I meant that you generally look well. And I heard from Robert that you're going to the ball as well?That's wonderful!"

"Well,yeah I...was going to go to the ball...not so sure now." she mumbled quietly staring at her feet.

"Why,what's wrong?Something to do with Richter?" Giglia questiongly raised an eyebrow.

"Robert told me about your complicated situation." Vittoria explained.

"Oh has he now?" Giglia sighed rolling her eyes and switched the light on in her room,walking over to sit on her bed.

"He's just concerned about you and about Richter not treating you correctly. Sometimes it's good to have a female friend to talk to,I'd be willing to listen."

"You're just nosy..." Giglia grumbled.

"Maybe...but I'm worried what's been going on."

Giglia shrugged. "I'm not quite sure myself...I mean he rescued me and from the moment I saw him I felt there's more...I can't forget his eyes...and I know this is gonna sound crazy but they're just so sad and resigned...they haunt me. And I wanna know more about it....know why he's so sad and angry...all the others see is his anger..."

"Mmh..." Vittoria said and paused to think for a moment "I wasn't too keen on the man myself,always thought he had something to hide,but I'll take another look. So ...are you just interested in him coz you want to find out more...or?"

Giglia sighed "I'm not sure...I just can't stop thinking about him."

The day of the ball arrived a little bit too quickly for Giglia's liking. And although she tried to focus her attention on Robert and Vittoria who were behaving like a loved up couple-just with the difference that they didn't want each other to know-she just couldn't help but dread the evening that was to come. At 8 o'clock Vittoria,Robert and Giglia took a taxi to the Accademia delle scienze,the theme of the ball was "Traditional meets modern". Robert and Vittoria both had decided to go in the more traditional evening clothes. Therefore, Vittoria wore a stunning black ballgown ,while Robert looked smart in a tux and Giglia feared that she would be the only one who decided to take a more modern approach. The accademia was a big ,posh building,situated right behind the Vatican gardens. They passed through a big light brown wooden door,in which the year of its creation was engraved. The ball itself took place in the big open library.

Giglia was stunned upon entering such beauty and Robert already tried to figure out when he would have the time to visit this place too. Around 8.30 the evening slowly got going but Giglia couldn't help but throw nervous glances to the entrance every so often. All the chatter of the many happy people passed her by completely as she continued to drink more and more of the strong red wine. Robert, in the meantime , noted that the pope wasn't present,but frankly it would've surprised him to see the pope at such a frivolous event. Most of the people there were involved in the police force one way or the other.

At 9 o'clock Robert decided that it was time to get Giglia out of the miserable state she was in and asked her to dance. She reluctantly agreed ,took his hand and joined him on the dance floor. While they were foxtrotting around the room,Robert told her interesting facts about the library they were in as well as adding a few jokes here and there,he liked Giglia's presence,her soft and bubbly personality made him feel younger and made him forget his worries about Vittoria and so it was only fair that he tried to cheer her up as well. Chatting and laughing like this it wasn't surprising that it was Robert who spotted Richter first. His eyes rested upon them for only a second before he moved away to join a few other members of the Swiss Guard. Giglia hadn't noticed any of this and sat back down at the table.

15 minutes later,when the band had moved on to more modern pieces of music,a young very handsome,but also very confident man,approached her.

"Bona notte signora. Lei è molto bella!Posso ballare con te?" Giglia took another sip of the wine and nodded in agreement. It turned out that the man was a professional dancer and he twirled her around the floor. Giglia, to her surprise,however,found that she was a very capable dancer,letting him lead her and trying to be as sexy as possible. She felt glorious,wanted...but when the dance ended she laid eyes on Richter and her heart sank for instinctly she knew that his blue eyes had been watching her every move.

"Grazie mille,signora!Spero che si veda di nuovo presto e non solo di danza" he said winking at her,kissed her cheek and as he walked away gave her a slap on the bum. But Giglia barely noticed this because she had only eyes for one man who was heading towards the balcony at this very moment.

"Commandante." she breathed running after him "I didn't see you come in."

He,however,didn't react but kept walking until he reached the end of the balcony. "Don't you think Mr Langdon is going to be jealous,Signora Giglia?" he said icily.

"Robert jealous,why?" Giglia asked in return laughing softly. But Richter again didn't answer. "Robert is here with Miss Vetra,like I told you." she finished quietly,still not understanding his bheaviour.

Richter didn't turn around,a battle was raging inside him,he was so relieved to hear that Langdon had company,but he didn't want her to see it either...and a small part of him didn't want to feel this way.

Giglia waited behind him until she couldn't stand it any longer. "Signor Richter." she whispered quietly and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder. When he slowly turned around the sadness in his eyes caught her off guard,she could almost feel the agony he was in.

She was just about to say something when he replied "I'm sorry,I have to go."


	8. Do you hear that? Part 1

**For my lovely readers!*hehe*This is part 1 of the chapter...I had to split em up ,I'm I'll try to upload the second part asap!Please review!:)**

**Disclaimer:Don't own Richter....:( :( :(**

_Do you hear that?It's the silence of Rome!part 1_

Giglia stood almost as if paralysed for a second or two.

"No,you do not have to go!" she yelled tears welling up in her eyes "you always have to go,always!Why don't you tell me for once what is wrong with you,huh?"

"Giglia calm down." Richter said quietly because the people sitting near the balcony were already staring at them.

"No Signore ,I won't. You cannot treat me like this...my heart simply cannot bear it." Giglia whispered looking at him intently.

"I do not need you." he hissed and left,this time for good.

Robert entered the balcony just in time to see the first tear drop fall towards the ground. Immediately he rushed over to Giglia and swept her up in his arms.

"Hey shush,sweetie...I won't let him hurt you anymore."

"You don't understand,Robert!You never understand!" she screamed banging her fists against his chest and ran away too.

When Robert walked back inside ,Vittoria instantly saw that something wasn't right.

"What's going on?" she asked quietly,placing her hand on top of his.

He shrugged "I'm not sure...apparently I don't understand."

Giglia just wanted to get out,all of this was crushing her. His agony,her confusion,Robert's love. She practically ran throughout the whole of Vatican City,kept moving and going on until she reached the river Tiber. She stood there gazing out into the night but she could still feel people's eyes watching her,prying on her. She swallowed,trying to catch her breath and calm down at the same time. But nothing she tried would work. She could still see his eyes,the pain within almost burning her from the inside. She had caused him such pain but how and why?And she had hurt Robert too,the memory of his usually sparkly green eyes suddenly changing was practically eating her up,the sparkle vanishing because of her words.

"Signora,è tutto ok?" an elderly gentleman asked eyeing her worriedly.

"Si chiaro." she whispered and walked away to the next best place she could think of:the castle of angels was looming just in front of her.

Once she had reached the entrance,however,she started having serious doubts about it. Walking in the hidden passageway weirdly reminded her of where she was heading because she had suddenly remembered the night in which the hassassin had dragged her to the hidden church of the Illuminati. Now Giglia was back in the room in which he had kept her,tortured her...touched her.

"You're a whore." he had hissed dangerously "I don't understand why he still wants you. God must still have plans for you. You better be of good service to him!"

She had just stared at him wordlessly,her eyes blazing with the anger she was feeling inside. Giglia shook her head focusing on her actual surroundings. She started searching the entire church for something...anything that would trigger some more memories,maybe something that would tell her who she was. But she found nothing,the Swiss Guard seemed to have done a good job on searching the place. Eventually Giglia crouched down by the dark fire place-a part of her was so tired and just wanted to give up. Then suddenly she could see something glistening from underneath the ashes,reaching out to pick it up her hand moved close over the dark coals,something started to work in her head. She quickly took the item and put it into her little handbag.

She could see an image,a memory,it was weak but it was definitely there: _The hassassin was standing over her,he had just put a spikey weapon into the fire and now he was approaching her,she wanted to run away but she couldn't...slowly he came closer and closer and then in one swift movement he punched the weapon into her skin...he had done the same beforehand with her heels._

_"You will die,whore!This may not work for some time,not until the job is done,but then you will die!" _

_And with a shock she remembered that prior to it he had put some sort of liquid onto the weapon._

"Poison." Giglia whispered and the world came crushing down on her. Suddenly she couldn't stand this place anymore,she felt confined... trapped. Running down the spiral staircase she soon spotted another passageway,she didn't know where it was leading but as long as it took her outside ,she didn't care. The path did indeed lead her outside ,onto a wall that seemed to be heading straight to the Peter's Basilica.

Somewhere in the middle of it she sat down,her chest rising and falling rapidly from exhaustion.

"This is not possible." a voice suddenly said as a man dressed in a dark tux approached her "how could you even know of this passageway?"

Giglia looked up and found herself staring into Richter's blue eyes. "I didn't...I just had to get away...just stumbled across it..." she mumbled "but I better leave...have done enough harm for one night."

"Don't,stay!I'm just here because I wanted to get away myself." Richter admitted...at first he had gone to Peter's Basilica to pray and ask god for guidance,however when no answer came he had felt the urge to get away from the church,the secret passageway provided him with the best possible escape route. Now they had met again and Richter started to wonder if this was god's answer to his question. The creature in front of him,however,seemed to be in very bad shape. Mascara had been smudged by visible traces of tears,her beautiful golden blonde hair was messy and she was trembling-had he caused all of this?


	9. Do you hear that? Part 2

**Ok and the next chapter's up!I do apologise for not posting both parts together...I ran out of time and had to split em hope you enjoy it though!:) Read&Review please!:)**

**Author's Note:Nope..still don't own the guy...but start to like my very own Giglia more n more!;)**

_Do you hear that?It's the silence of Rome!part 2_

He took a deep breath and sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked calmly.

But Giglia didn't reply,how could she possibly describe all the things that were going on inside her? And even if she would find a way,would it be too much and he'd run away agin?

"Talk to me." he pleaded gently,realising that he could possibly deal better with her angry,fiery side than with this sadness and hopelessness. "Giglia." he pleaded again,putting a hand on her shoulder. "My god you're cold!" he exclaimed and instantly removed his jacket to put it around her shoulders.

"I'm scared." she admitted quietly.

"Of what?Of who?" Richter asked watching her closely.

"I don't want to worry you,Signore..."

"Giglia,as Commandante of the Swiss Guard I have every right to know if someone is threatening you."

"Don't worry,Commandante,nobody is threatening me so your precious guards won't be needed." she said cooly.

"Listen,you and I both know what I really meant was...I'm...I'm worried about you..." he said in barely more than a whisper.

Giglia had tears in her eyes when she looked up to face him.

"I know." she said "that's why I don't want to hurt you."

"Just tell me what's wrong." he persisted.

Without another word she took his jacket and spread it over her legs,then she pulled her dress up to her stomach. Richter was shocked to see that the red holes had turned greenish yellow,something wasn't right about these wounds.

"It stings incredibly strongly." she whispered "it's poison...the hassassin is trying to kill me."

"But how?" Richter asked "none of the doctors found traces of poison in your blood."

"I don't know." she said quietly.

"How do you even know it's poisoned?" he questioned.

"I remembered something...he told me...he dipped the weapon into a poisonous liquid,before he put it in the fire and burned me."

He eyed the wound for another moment and then he reached out with his hand to touch it. How his fingers touched her skin...it felt like electricity and just by looking at him Giglia could tell he was feeling the same. Somehow there seemed to be this connection between them, but what was it?

"It's weird." Richter stated after a minute,tracing the wound with his finger "it almost looks circular..like a motive of sorts."

"Don't!" Giglia exclaimed in shock,remembering the weird dream she had had about the sign inside the circle saying _"Lucia diavolo_" ,he couldn't possibly find out about it.

"Is it hurting?" he asked recoiling from her.

"Yes..." she lied quietly,sad that the body contact between them was already broken.

"I wish you would've told me earlier about it...if it's really poison,we have to find out which one it is as quickly as possible...we have to save you!" he thought out loud.

Giglia had to smile inadvertently,and following her instincts she turned around to him.

"You're such a kind man,Signore. You care about so many people,yet you want nobody to see,why is that?"

Richter immediately started avoiding her glance."It's...not something I wish to discuss."

"You know,Signore." Giglia began gently,placing her hands on his cheeks "I think you really should. This face tells me so many things. It tells me about so much agony and pain you have lived through but when you smile then it all vanishes...I wish you would do that more often."

He was too stunned at her words to turn away or even to react at all.

"There's guilt here too." she continued running her finger over the soft skin around his mouth "it makes you look hard and bitter...but you're still hurting...constantly hurting."

"I had a wife once..." he found himself talking "a beautiful creature...darkbrown hair,hazelnut eyes...I loved her with all my heart. And then she gave me a daughter,and from the first moment I laid eyes on her,I knew I could never love someone as much. She had Franca's brown eyes and my blonde hair...golden curls,just like an angel." he paused for a moment to look at her "In a strange way you resemble her so much...at that time I also worked as a soldier in the Swiss Guard myself...I had a partner,whom I trusted...my best friend...but work got hard...an opening emerged for a new position:chief of the Swiss é and I were both running for it...I worked very hard but he got more and more competitive...and when I won,he seemed to change....he hated me...and when I had to spend all my time at the headquarters he took advantage of my wife who was craving attention and they had an affair."

Giglia listened intently but knew better than to speak.

"He betrayed me and took my wife from me...I blamed myself,although I hated him...but the worst was yet to come. Somehow he got dragged into bad business...people wanted money from him and when he couldn't pay , they took what they thought mattered to him most:my daughter Raffaela. They kidnapped her...I was involved in the mission to save her...but I failed...he killed her before my own eyes." by the time he finished talking the pain had vanished from his eyes and had been replaced with an emptiness that scared Giglia even more.

"It wasn't your fault,Signore." she said quietly gently stroking his cheek but he averted his eyes.

"No,look at me!" she kept going and upon seeing his blue eyes flicker back to her she smiled and said "you need to start believing it...it wasn't your fault."

"It's not that easy." he explained,a melancholy smile passing over his lips.

"I understand." she agreed quietly "but stop thinking about it for a moment and just listen...do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" he asked in return.

"It's the silence of Rome." she whispered.


	10. To the men in my life

**Here's a new chapter for you guys to enjoy!(hopefully ;) ) Apologies that it's such a short one...but I feel really ill,a case of a bad cold that's making me wanna sleep most of the time and otherwise brings "lovely" headaches along!-_-' I hope I'll be better soon n able to write more. Please read&review though!:)**

**Disclaimer:Nope...me not owns nothin...just a stupid cold...n I don't even wanna own that one...-_-  
**

_To the men in my life_

They sat quietly next to each other while listening to the distant sound of traffic.

"I have to thank you,Giglia." Richter eventually broke the silence.

She looked at him in surprise. "Why is that?" she asked.

"Well,you open me up in a way,make me talk." he admitted shrugging as if it wasn't a big deal "and although I might not look too happy about it,I think it's what I need."

Giglia smiled at him. "I'm a bit stunned by that,Commandante...I didn't want to force you or anything,I just care about you,'tis all."

"Giglia,I think it's time you stopped calling me Commandante Richter...my name is Maximillian." he said giving her one of his rare but therefore even more stunning true smiles.

"Well,I will gladly call you Max,Commandante...although I have to ask...how come you're offering me this now?I didn't think of this as an ideal opportunity...seeing how this evening began..."

"Giglia,it's not a big thing really," Richter lied a light blush creeping over his cheeks "it's just...I mean...you know...nothing..."

Giglia giggled softly and said: "It's alright Max...I care about you just as much."

And with that being said she put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. After a while when she had drifted off to sleep,Richter watched her closely and gently brushed through her hair. He still couldn't quite grasp what this woman did to him,it was true...she had this aura about her...something that assured him that he could trust her. But additionally it made him want to forget his usual suspicions...he knew better than to trust complete strangers,put himself in such a vulnerable position and yet with her it was different...But when he looked at her,sleeping so peacefully leaning against him,he couldn't help but worry. She was poisoned...had been about a month ago and they had no idea what kind of poison it was,how strong it was,how easy it would be to find an antidote...but he knew that he couldn't stand the thought of losing her.

"Hey..." he whispered nudging her softly "I think it's time to go home."

But she only moaned reluctantly and wrapped her arms around him.

Richter felt the usual warmth spread through his body as he whispered again "Come on Giglia,Robert's probably worried."

This time Giglia lifted her head. "You're right." she said opening her eyes sleepily "Robert...I really need to talk to him."

Richter nodded in agreement and took back his jacket from her.

"But this time no mysterious disappearances,right?" she asked hopeful "I mean...we will see each other again soon,right Max?"

A soft smile was playing on his lips as he nodded and said "Of course,I promise."

The appartment was cloaked in darkness by the time Giglia got home which,in fact,wasn't all that surprising because it was 2 in the morning. She was about to quietly tiptoe to her room,when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Giglia?" Robert mumbled and she followed his voice into the living room. He had been asleep on the couch.

"Hey,what are you doing here?" she whispered quietly.

"Well,I had to wait for you,make sure you were ok. And Vittoria was tired,so she went to bed."

Giglia smiled softly. "You're way too kind,Robert." she said lowering her head in shame "I'm sorry about what I said earlier."

"Don't worry about it anymore." he replied giving her one of his gentle,reassuring smiles.

"May I?" she asked wanting to lie down on the couch next to him.

"Sure." he said pulling back the blanket and allowing her to slip underneath it.

"So,what was going on tonight?I clearly missed something between you and Richter."

"Yes...he was behaving strangely...yet again...and wanted to run away...yet again..and I was just getting fed up with it all. But then we had a talk...and I mean a real talk...there were tears involved."

Upon hearing this remark Robert looked up surprisedly.

"Well,not really...but he told me quite a lot about him...why he's so bitter and hurt and...I can call him Max now."

Robert took a deep breath,about to voice what he was thinking.

"Robert,as I said before...I know you don't like him but the more I find out about him,the more I..feel..."

"Are you in love with him?"

"Yes,I think I am." she said quietly "but I don't think he is...I'm more like a daughter to him."


	11. The search begins

**Sooo guys,I made myself update sooner than I thought!*coughs*It's another short chapter coz I still ain't too well,but I promise you the next one will be ,there's no Richter in this chapter...but it's kinda important for the storyline. I do apologise to those of you who thought Gi and Richter would come together in the previous chapter...I like to prolong it...keep the tension going. But I'll throw some fluff in there for you guys ;)**

**Disclaimer:Still own my stupid cold and the lovely Giglia!;)**

_The search begins_

Robert didn't reply but eyed her thoughtfully for a moment.

"What?" Giglia asked curiously turning around to snuggle up against him.

"I don't know...just ,what did you and Richter do?"

A light crimson colour crept over her cheeks. "We um...talked that's all. But Robert ...there's something I need to tell you..."

Robert nodded, the seriousness of her voice worrying him.

"When I left the accademia...I went to the castle of angels...not quite sure why...just a feeling I guess. But once I got there,I remembered something." and upon seeing the excitement in Robert's eyes,she quietly added: "And it wasn't really a good thing.I...there was something I didn't tell you,something I didn't tell any of you."

"Yes?" Robert asked gently brushing through her hair trying to make it easier for her.

"My heels and the holes in my stomach...they never stopped hurting. At first I just thought it was natural coz...you know it's a wound and then it started to turn into a stinging pain...it was so painful to walk and to breathe...but I didn't want to worry you and I was so happy and all...but then I remembered...I got poisoned,the hassassin is trying to kill me."

Robert's eyes widened in shock. "What?" he exclaimed and Giglia told him everything she had remembered.

"Are you ok?" she asked him after she had finished and he let out a hollow chuckle.

"You're poisoned and you ask me if I'm alright. Gi ,I'm worried...extremely worried."

"Richter said...that he wants to take me to the hospital tomorrow...well I guess today..." she whispered trying to fight the panic that was rising inside her.

"Yeah,that'll be for the best. Do you want me to come?"

"No,thank you Robert." she said smiling softly.

"Ah,want some time with him alone,eh?" Robert joked trying to lighten the mood.

"No..I ...well he said some things earlier on...and I just think it's best if Max and I go alone."

"Max and I,huh?" Robert replied grinning at her "you are sure you just "talked"?"

"Robert..." Giglia protested weakly " we...only talked yes....well,and I fell asleep on his shoulder."

Although she tried with all her might to surpress the smile that was surfacing on her face,she just couldn't stop it from happening. The memory of his strong shoulders and his voice close to her sent a tingle down her spine and made her embrace Robert even closer in a desperate attempt to hide her face from him.

"So,how come you're out with me here and not in the bedroom with Vittoria?"

"Gi,why do you make it sound so dirty?" Robert asked, playfully rolling his eyes.

"I was merely voicing an innocent idea,it was just a thought." she lied.

"Well,as I told you before...she was tired and I wanted to wait for you."

"So you did the gentlemanly thing,mmh?Well..how long before you go out and buy her jewellery."

Robert's face reddened by the memory of considering to buy a beautiful necklace he had seen. But he was spared an answer because Giglia suddenly said :"Oh,Robert...I completely forgot." and she wiggled around to grab her bag and pulled out a beautiful bracelet. It was silvery and had slightly melted at some points,but the blue gem in the middle of it that was surrounded by many golden strings,was shining beautifully,even in the darkness of the apartment.

"Where did you find that?" Robert breathed eyeing it curiously.

"In the fireplace of the Illuminati church,the Swiss Guard mustn't have noticed it..." she explained, turning it around in her hand. But it was Robert who noticed the tiny engraving on the inside,part of it unreadable because of the fire.

"I'm sure it is my bracelet ,I'm sure of it." Giglia meanwhile said determinedly.

Robert nodded vaguely. "If you want,I could contact a good friend of mine?I'm sure he can find out what this means."

"Yes,and maybe this'll help me to remember more facts." Giglia agreed excitedly.


	12. Nosocomephobia

**So guys I promised you a longer chapter-and here it is!;) Richter is in this one as well!:) So I hope you enjoy this a bit more!And to those who are still reading: I love u n please keep reviewing!:) Thank you!:)**

**Disclaimer: Giglia is mine,the rest isn't...**

_Nosocomephobia_

Robert and Giglia spent that night on the sofa,cuddled up in each others arms. but while Giglia slept like a rock,Robert was awake most of the time. He wasn't surprised that Giglia could sleep so well,because it had been a long day for her and even after the shocks she had suffered,she eventually had to be overcome by exhaustion. Robert sighed and tried to find a more comfortable spot on the sofa,while praying that exhaustion would eventually come and take him as well. But he couldn't help but worry and suddenly because in the minute she had told him about her poisoning,the world had become a little bit darker, and he felt a pressure rise in his chest that he hadn't felt since the chase to find the path of illumination. Just that this time,he knew the victim personally.

A little while later he carefully scrambled up from the sofa,trying not to wake Giglia. He quietly took the bracelet from the table and snuck into his study. Leafing through an old notebook,he eventually found the address of a former Harvard colleague and taking a photo of the bracelet as well as the inscription,faxed it over to him,with the urgent wish that he might have a look at it,seeing as this was a matter of life and death. Then,his face in his hands he continued to think.

"Hey,Robert." a quiet voice urged him and with a start he opened his eyes.

"Vittoria." he whispered looking up into her beautiful brown eyes.

"Have you slept at all?" she asked kneeling down beside him and, with a smile,ran her fingers over the bookmarks on his face.

"I ...must've..." he answered still confused rubbing his eyes.

"You look like hell." Vittoria continued eyeing him worriedly " what happened last night?I saw that Giglia returned..."

Robert caught his reflection in the monitor of the computer and felt older than ever,his hair was dishevelled,showing more streaks of grey because it couldn't be hidden anymore,he had bags under his eyes and a soft stubble began to grow on his chin.

"Robert?" Vittoria asked again and he tore himself away from his personal thoughts and told her the disturbing news.

A few hours later Giglia was awake as well,and just having had a shower, sat at the breakfast table when the door bell rang.

"You 2 keep eating." Vittoria ordered with a stern glance "I go and see who's there." When she opened the door she was surprised to see Richter. "Commandante,this isn't really a good time...things have calmed down here and..." but she didn't get any further because Giglia appeared behind her.

"It's alright,Vittoria." she explained and shyly approached Richter. "Good morning,Max." she said quietly,reaching out to hug him but then decided otherwise and just squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry if this isn't a good time." he said but she was already dragging him into the kitchen.

"Nonsense,sit,sit!" she said smiling at him.

"Morning." Robert greeted him cooly "sorry Vittoria,I forgot to mention earlier on that the Commandante was taking Gi to the hospital today."

"No problem." she winked at him "you had more important things on your mind."

Giglia continued her breakfast,offering Richter something as well who declined.

"Listen Gi,before you two leave. First thing this morning I sent a fax to Jim over in America,I'm sure he's gonna take a look at that bracelet of yours."

"What bracelet?" Richter asked before Giglia could thank him.

"I um...don't think I told you we met last night,I found a bracelet in the church of the Illuminati...I'm sure it's mine and it's inscribed as well,so Robert contacted a friend...so maybe I'll soon be able to find out more about myself."

Richter nodded in agreement.

"Do you want to see the bracelet?" she asked already getting up.

"Not now,thanks." he replied politely "we're already late for your doctor's appointment,I think we should go."

Giglia nodded reluctantly,gave Robert a hug and then followed Richter out and into the black car that was parked out front.

"You seemed very chipper this morning." Richter said trying to make conversation.

"I'm just glad to actually see you here." she replied smiling at him yet again.

He instantly looked away as if trying to disguise his true feelings. "I told you I would come,didn't I?" he then mumbled.

They reached the hospital within 15 minutes,but the closer they got to the waiting room,the more Richter felt a change in the atmosphere. He looked back at Giglia,who had suddenly become immensely interested in her shoes,but he didn't miss the fact that her shoulders were slumped too. But before Richter could ask her if something was wrong,the door opposite them opened and a very handsome man came out.

"Bongiorno Commandante." he said shaking his hand as well as Giglia's.

"Thank you for being available on such short notice." Richter said and then turning around to Giglia "professor Maggio was there when we found you,he is a major in venom research...unfortunately he wasn't the one who tended to you,otherwise we might have known earlier..."

They both entered his office and sat down on the chairs.

"Signora,I have to ask you to tell me everything you know...I have been informed about your circumstances." the doctor said nodding in Richter's direction "so I will be patient...but nonetheless,every little detail will be crucial."

Richter noticed that Giglia turned even paler as she started to tell her tale. Afterwards the doctor took some blood and also examined her wounds more closely. Giglia looked ready to pass out but said "Dottore,if you don't need me for now,I will go on a little walk."

The doctor nodded and when Giglia reached the door,Richter held her back,quietly whispering "Are you sure that you're ok?"

She only gave him a half-smile and shrugged her shoulders.

Once she had left the doctor's office,she fled...ran away from the people and all the noise. When she reached a door,that led to a big and empty hall,she slipped inside and hid in the most far away corner. She hugged her knees to her chest and began crying quietly. Rocking herself back and forth she tried to gain back her composure,but it didn't work. When she heard the door open and saw light flooding in,she tried to hide even more,recognising the tall figure immediately.

It took a while for his eyes to adapt to the darkness,but once they had he immediately saw her.

"Giglia?" he called only mere steps away "are you crying?"

A sniffle was the only response,but he could now clearly see her burrying her head beneath her arms and turning her back on him.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" he asked again,kneeling down next to her.

"You'll think I'm so weak." her thin voice came.

"Giglia,I can assure you,such a thought would never cross my mind." and he began rubbing her back.

Eventually she turned around tears burning in her eyes. "I'm so terrified,Max." she sobbed quietly while angrily wiping her fresh tears away at the same time.

"That's only normal." he told her gently.

"But I'm always scared...everyone else isn't. Robert is worried but he is doing something,you are certainly not scared,Vittoria didn't seem fazed...it's just me...I don't want to know how long I have to live...I don't want to die."

And with these words she flung herself into his arms. Surprised at first,he then slowly embraced her,feeling her tears against his cheek.

_"I only try to appear to be alright,because I don't want you to panick even more." _he thought quietly while he could feel her hands clutching his shirt and drawing him closer.

"We're going to figure this out." he promised her,rubbing in circles over her back,deciding that this wasn't the best time to tell her about the doctor's results and that time was,indeed,running out.


	13. Wien's the word

**Here's chapter 12,I hope you like it. I'm already working on Chapter 13 and I've also made an overall plan for the rest of the story.I reckon it'll end at chapter 20 or 21-just to let you know!;) Please read&review,guys-so that I know that someone out there is reading my stuff!;)**

**Disclaimer:I don't own Richter or Robert,only Giglia.I don't own Stellan Skarsgard either..though now my mum's moving to Stockholm that idea becomes more and more tempting!;)**

_"Wien" is the word_

She remained a little bit longer in his arms,although her sobs had already subsided. In fact,she had gone over into a state of numbness,so that she wasn't thinking at all and just held on to him. Richter had felt extremely uncomfortable when she had thrown herself into his arms...it wasn't exactly a situation he came across in his everyday life and with all the feelings he had for her and his suspicions warning him,he had absolutely no idea how to react. But then,after a while,he had become strangely accustomed to it-to the softness of her cheeks pressed against his own,to her hands still clutching his shirt in desperation and to the rise and fall of her chest,so that in the end he didn't even notice that she had calmed down because he was too wrapped up in the situation,himself.

Finally Giglia's voice broke the silence "What did the doctor say,Max?" she whispered breaking the contact in order to be able to look him in the eye. And it felt to her as if his piercing blue eyes became overshadowed by clouds.

"It's not good news,I'm afraid." he told her as softly as possible,an arm still resting on hers just in case.

"How bad exactly?" she continued hoarsly.

"Well,the doctor discovered that this case is so complicated because the hassassin used a multitude of poison and putting the weapon into the fire meant that...this mixture became like glue,it means that all the poison is stuck together." he paused a moment to read in her eyes how she felt but with a nod of her head she urged him to continue. "He used exactly the sort of poison that didn't cancel each other out,but that made it even more...powerful...no,that's not the right word...but...it makes this situation more complicated and complex. "

"I understand." Giglia said tonelessly "because there are so many different ones...one doesn't know where to start,there will be more than one antidote needed,right?"

"Yes,but there is more." he said drawing her closer again because she looked ready to pass out " because of the weapon he used,the poisonous mixture got transported very deep into your body...it is almost as if he intended to...send it to certain places though I wouldn't know why...it doesn't make sense."

Giglia swallowed thinking about the circle of poisonous holes in her stomach,that became more visible with each passing day but didn't want to worry Richter any more by filling him in on it.

"Secondly." Richter moved on "all the poison that was used is very rare...meaning that it isn't very likely that dottore Maggio has all the andidotes here. For now he's trying to figure out how many different kinds of poison there are in your blood and he promised me that tomorrow he'd be ready to give you as many antidote injections as possible."

"Max,I need you to be frank with me, as I know you can be." Giglia pleaded gently "how long does he think I've got left?"

Richter cleared his throat trying to sound as calm and unfazed as possible: "About 3 months."

When Giglia returned to the appartment in the afternoon,her mood had dampened extremely. This morning she had woken up with newfound hope,Max had begun to trust her,Robert had been informed and had contacted a colleague,and Giglia had somehow been sure that the hospital would be able to provide her with a quick,simple solution...but things hadn't turned out quite the way she had hoped. She felt strangely empty,not even the thought of Richter's warm embrace cheering her up. And when Robert opened the door for her,beaming at her ,he was surprised to be met by a wall of hidden,desperate emotions.

"I've got wonderful news!" he exclaimed,dragging her inside and hugging her tight. But a closer look at her only proved what he had noticed before:something wasn't right. "Hey,did something go wrong at the hospital?Where's Richter?" he asked.

"It's not about him,Robert." Giglia said quietly sitting down on the couch. "My wounds...are a lot worse than we all expected them to be."

And she filled him in on everything that had happened at the hospital. When she finished, he was as white as a sheet and desperately trying to stop the emotions he was feeling to show in his brilliant green eyes.

"But,Richter said the doctor could give you an injection tomorrow,Gi...that's one step in the right direction. And the three months...I mean,I'm sure that only applies if you aren't treated...but now the doctors are working on it...and something tells me Richter's gonna raise hell to get the other antidotes,no matter what."

A ghost of a smile brushed over Giglia's lips. "Tell me about your good news." she then said.

"Well,my colleague Jim got back to me,while you were gone. On the inside it says "Hermetica:Dao Stellaris" and just inscribed underneath it it says "Mea filia pulchra"."

"What does that mean?" Giglia asked,not feeling half as interested as she sounded.

"Well,the latter means "My beautiful daughter"which I'm inclined to believe is you...but the first thing...Hermetica...not in the sense of "hermetic"...because seeing it in connection with "Dao stellaris"...they are a group of freemasons,situated in the area around Vienna. The bracelet is a traditional gift for new members,manufactured by the leader himself but always with some special features telling something about the person it is given to."

"It says..."daughter"...so my father was the leader of this freemason lodge?"

Robert slowly shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure about it. Yes,of course it might be so...but they also call the young members "daughters"or "sons" and only the equals ones "brothers" or "sisters"...but since there isn't evidence for either one,we just don't know for sure."

"Mmh." Giglia said, a million things running through her head.

"Giglia!" Robert broke the silence yet again "I've booked us all plane tickets for Monday to fly to Vienna,I'm sure we'll find out more there."


	14. The journey begins

**Hello again!:) I know I haven't updated in like...2 weeks but last week before the hols was rather eventful and now I'm back home in Germany for christmas, so I've been meeting up with my friends etc.!:) But a couple of people sent me messages asking for an update,so here ya go!:) It's my way of saying merry christmas-some Giglia&Richter fluff!;) I can't promise an update soon, but it will be some point in the new year. Have a wonderful christmas everyone and thank you for reading my story!:)**

**Disclaimer: I only own "Angels&Demons"on DVD,that's it^^**

_The journey begins_

Giglia nodded still not quite herself again.

"Hey" Robert said putting an arm around her shoulders "you have to believe in this plan.I am doing my best and the doctor is and Vittoria flew back to Geneva just to pack and she'll then join us in Vienna and I'm sure Richter will want to come along as well."

Giglia nodded again feeling numb all over. "I think I'll lie down." she whispered quietly,walking to her room while Robert followed her. She massaged her temples,sitting down on the bed.

"Are you sure you don't wanna have a cuddle?" he asked her his brilliant green eyes suddenly looking like puppy-dog eyes.

"No,thank you." she replied and mastered the first smile in what seemed like forever "but maybe tomorrow."

"That's good enough." he replied gently and,winking at her,closed the door behind him.

To her great surprise Giglia lay awake only for mere minutes and then slipped into a world of nightmarish dreams,of shadows and secret sects. But the sleep ended as fast as it had come. Glancing to the clock at her bedtable,she groaned realising that it was only 3 in the morning. Slipping into the dark corridor she made her way into the living room,tiptoeing very carefully not wanting to wake Robert. Once inside the living room,she grabbed the phone and quietly dialled a number.

"Yes?Who's calling now?" a gruff voice replied and took Giglia's breath away for a moment.

"Max...it's me." she whispered quietly,sitting down on the couch crossing her legs "I'm so sorry I'm calling you at this time of night but um...more things have happened."

"Go on,tell me." his voice replied suddenly sounding a lot more gentle. And she started to fill him in on everything that Robert had found out.

"So um..." she finished hesitating a little " would you like to come along?" There was silence on the other end of the line.

"Would you like me to?"

"It's all I can do to keep me from begging you to come along." she admitted in barely more than a whisper.

"Then I'm very happy to come along." he replied and she sensed that he was smiling.

The next morning Giglia woke up with the warm feeling in her stomach that had come from talking to Richter. They had finally said goodnight at 4.30 in the morning and Giglia could almost imagine him lying next to her. However , she shook off these thoughts quickly ,climbed out of bed and began packing the things she considered important for her ,after a quick breakfast with Robert,she left the appartment and met up with Richter at the hospital. Dottore Maggio at the hospital had found out that she had been infected with 10 different poisons and he had been able to find antidotes to 6 of them. Feeling immensely relieved,Giglia followed him in another room to get her injections. However, afterwards her spirits weren't quite as high, for the combination of the different antidotes made her feel dizzy,light-headed and weak. She was barely able to thank the doctor properly and Richter almost had to carry her into his car.

"I've got my bags already with me." Richter explained to her quiet frame leaning against the window of the car "I wasn't sure how long we would have to wait...I hope it's ok if I already come and stay."

"Yeah...fine" Giglia slurred "Robert has put you up on the couch,says that'll have to do coz he's not giving up his bed for ya."

Despite the content of the message Richter had to smile about Giglia's clearly drugged up state. "Don't worry." he said "the couch will be just fine."

By the time they reached the appartment,Giglia had fallen asleep. Buzzing on the door downstairs,Richter waited for Robert's reply.

"Yes?" his voice finally came.

"Evening Mr Langdon,I've got Giglia sleeping in the car and I can't carry both her and my bag upstairs."

He needn't say more for a few minutes later,Robert appeared in the door. "You just take your bag,I help Giglia." he said looking rather worried. Upon opening the car door she almost fell out,if he hadn't been there to catch her.

"No worries...Robert...'s only the drugs...6 injections...'tof 10...good,innit?" she babbled happily. He nodded in agreement,put an arm around her shoulder and lifted her out of the car. When they reached the appartment ,he carried her straight to her room.

When Giglia woke up again everything was dark around her. Her head felt less fuzzy,but she still felt light-headed and strangely out of control. Once again she tiptoed into the dark living room and when she reached the sofa,she gently tapped Richter on the shoulder-he awoke with a start.

"Everything's ok,it's only me." she said giggling slightly. He blinked a few times and the asked with a hoarse voice:"Giglia,you're awake?"

"Yeah,I woke up and you weren't there." she whispered in an almost child-like tone. He was only able to raise an eyebrow in confusion,before she continued: "Come on,I can't sleep if you're not there. You have to watch over me again." and she took his hand into hers and dragged him with her into her room. "My bed's really comfortable." she explained to him with big eyes and gestured him to lie down next to her.

Richter looked at her,a mixture of disbelief and amusement shining in his eyes and he said:" Giglia,the drugs are still affecting you.I'm not sure I should..." But she only shook her head and looked at him,eyes suddenly serious.

"I need you to be with me,Max." she whispered and for a minute he wasn't sure what to think. But then the seriousness left her eyes again,as she slung her arms around him and mumbled into his chest: "You always smell so nice."


	15. I love to travel

**Hello guys!:) I realise it took me ages to update. But here it is...chapter 15!:) It's sort of a filler, but that's just coz the next part cannot be separated...and also because the chapter after the next one is just gonna be dedicated to RIchter) I'm sort of getting close to the finishing line now, so bear with me...there are about 4 more chapters to come, and then it's done!;) Just a warning here, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update again. I am currently working on so many different stories(you have no idea) and on top of that I've got lots of assessments at Uni coming up. But please,please,please bear with me!:) I love your reviews!:D Oh and: Happy New Year everyone!;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing...**

_I love to travel_

When Giglia awoke the next morning her head was still feeling fuzzy from the drugs. She rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times before finally opening them. But what she saw amazed her. Richter was lying next to her...well, more curled around her, his one arm lying on his side and the other one just above her head. Giglia quietly cursed her drugged up state, now she would never know if he had hugged her while sleeping...and she could hardly ask him that. Just then his eyes opened and his blue orbs met hers. For a moment he smiled sleepily at her, before realising what position he was in.

"Giglia, you...asked me to come and watch over you. I must have fallen asleep...I'm sorry." he said almost defensively.

"Don't worry,that's alright. I slept very well, if that's what you're concerned about. As a matter of fact, I probably slept better than I have done in days."

Richter looked at her for a moment, unsure of what to say next. Luckily the awkward silence was broken when Langdon entered the room, he seemed to be in a rush. He started to say something, but stopped before a word had left his lips to shoot Richter an angry and confused look.

"I'm so sorry, my alarm didn't go off. Come on Gi, you gotta hurry if you don't wanna miss the plane."

Giglia nodded and hastily jumped out of bed but immediately began to regret it when she was overcome by dizziness. Both Langdon and Richter were immediately at her side to steady her.

"Don't listen to him. We'll catch that plane. Just get ready, but be careful." Richter whispered and winked at her with an amused twinkle in his eyes.

"You shouldn't encourage her." Langdon hissed once she had left the room.

Giglia , in the meantime, was getting changed and ready as quickly as possible. While brushing her teeth she caught her reflection in the mirror and a quick breath escaped her. She looked pale and unwell, not like someone who would still be alive in three months.

The car ride to the airport was a hectic afair. Langdon, whose mood hadn't exactly become better since the comment that Richter had made, now had to listen to the bickering of the taxi driver, complaining about bloody tourists leaving late when they knew very well what time their flight was. Only when Giglia was inside the aircraft, squashed between Langdon and Richter, did an eerie calm descend. It was out of her hands for now, they had caught the plane and now there was nothing more to do than wait till they got there. The plan, from then on, had been explained to them several times by Langdon. They would quickly check into hotel Sacher, the best hotel in Vienna ("Show off" Richter had whispered)and then they would start the search for Giglia's family.

From the point of the landing to the point where they arrived at the hotel everything seemed to pass by in a blur.

"So, how exactly do we find out where my family is?" Giglia asked Robert when they had all settled down in his room.

"Well, I suggest we go to the source itself."

"You mean...to the freemasons? But...we don't know where their "headquarters" are."

"Ah,that's where you're wrong,Gi. These Freemasons aren't a secret organistion,hiding underground. They're more like...like a religious group, they meet openly."

Giglia nodded

"Alright then,lets go."

On the way to the door she noticed Richter who was loading his gun.

"Do you really think that's going to be necessary?" she asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure. But recent events have taught me to take my gun with me wherever I go."

"But don't use it until you have to." Langdon commented "I don't want you to mess everything up for me again."

Giglia who saw that Richter was about to reply, quickly put a finger on his lips to silence him. He couldn't help but blush, when had Giglia become so bold?


	16. From angels and the dead

**So guyyys :) We finally have an update!lol I'm really sorry, but I've hit a kind of a problem with this story. I'm very close to finishing it...so I shall try to stick with it, but I'm not as much "in tune" with the characters as I used to be. So pleaase give me feedback, it's needed a lot!!!**

**Disclaimer: Everything you recognise ain't mine ;)**

_From angels and those belived to be dead_

Once they had left the hotel room Langdon got out a map.

"I thought you said that you had been here before." Richter quipped, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, yes. It was on one of my many trips to Europe...but it's been some time." Langdon answered, a hint of annoyance mixed in his voice.

"Now, come on guys." Giglia said smiling amusdely "stop fighting."

"We're not fighting, sweety." Langdon said while studying the map closely.

"Right." Richter agreed and then added under his breath "Bloody Americans."

Langdon either hadn't heard him or chose to ignore it but Giglia nudged Richter playfully.

But before he could respond, Langdon said :" Ok, I've got it. According to Jim's information the members of the brotherhood are meeting in the conference rooms of the Hofreitschule. It's not too far away."

And with that the 3 of them finally started walking.

"Any particular reason why they would meet there and not, say...in a church?" RIchter questioned suspiciously.

"Your little encounter with the Illuminati seems to have tainted your view." Langdon said with a smile "They may have been an ancient sect, forced to meet in the underground, however, as I mentioned before, this particular group of Freemasons doesn't have to hide. Well, at least not in the underground..."

"Clearly you don't want to tell me that the leaders of this country are openly involved in some kind of mystic society?"

"Once again your wording is incorrect." Langdon said, the triumphant smile on his face growing even bigger "there is nothing particularly "mystic" about this society, as you call it. They are merely influenced by certain religious beliefs...the group consists of artists and musicians, Mozart for example was a Freemason, but also of important leaders from the government. The only difference is that back then the membership was kept quiet, whereas nowadays...well, it's not exactly public knowledge as such, but they have more open ways of communicating... Therefore, they are influential enough to hold their meetings at the big conference rooms at the Hofreitschule."

Just then, when Langdon had finished his explanation, a large building loomed in front of them. It was divided into two parts that were joined in the middle by a large gate. In front of the building was a circle, around which carriages were waiting for the curious tourists. They entered the building at once only to find a large group of tourists queueing in front of them.

"Didn't think about that." Langdon muttered to himself as he started to push through the crowd.

"Robert, what I don't understand..." Giglia voiced softly "what do you mean when you say that they don't "exactly" have to hide anymore. How do they communciate?"

Just then Langdon let out a small gasp. Giglia followed his gaze and found herself looking at an old man in a burgundy suit and top hat. He clearly looked peculiar, however, Giglia still couldn't understand what Langdon was getting so excited about.

"They communicate via symbols." he quickly explained, extracting her bracelet from his pocket.

"Excuse me, young man." the person in the burgundy suit addressed Langdon "the visitor's entrance is over there."

Langdon nodded and showed the man Giglia's bracelet. "That's why we're here."

The old man's eyes widended visibly and he quickly ushered them through. Once they were on their own, and far away from the public eye, he asked: "How did you get that?"

Their footsteps were echoing loudly in the empty square.

"It belongs to my friend,Giglia."

At that the old man turned his attention to Giglia for the very first time and he stopped immediately in his tracks.

"Can it be?" he whispered, looking at her intently.

Giglia tried to return his gaze as steadily as possible and something seemed to pass between them. While Langdon watched the whole thing with interest, Richter had narrowed his eyes and observed the old man with a mixture of anger and worry.

"Our angel has returned..." the man muttered as he swiftly approached her "Suzanna..."

In one quick movement Richter had pulled Giglia to his side and was now holding his outstreched arm in front of her,in order to protect her.

"I don't like that greedy look on his face." he hissed quietly.

"I don't think he means any harm." Giglia pleaded softly.

Richter let his arm sink reluctantly, enabling Giglia to approach the man.

"I am very sorry if I scared you, my dear." he spoke gently now, a soft glint in his eyes "clearly you must understand,I am just so happy to see you again."

"Giglia...or Suzanna, as you call her, has lost her memory. Sometimes it comes back to her, but most of her past is still hidden." Langdon decided to explain.

"I see,my name is Markus,dear. We have met before...but I was a young man then and you were only a child." and he went to squeeze her hand.

"I wish I could remember you." Giglia whispered sadly.

"You will, in due time." Markus replied smiling wisely "But now, put your bracelet on, no matter how damaged it may be. You will have to meet the elders."

And they began to walk again, finally entering the shade of another building.

"You know, when I first saw this man with your bracelet I had feared the worst. I thought you might be dead and he had found your bracelet, or worse...he was your killer..."

"That would've been a fantastic first meeting with the elders." Langdon breathed quietly and Giglia let out a chuckle.

Finally they reached a large wooden door. Markus told them to wait outside, while he knocked and then entered the room.

"I still don't like this." Richter muttered "we don't know how many people are in there...it could be a trap."

"I know you're worried,Max." Giglia said softly and touched his face with her hand "but I will have to find out...this is my home,I can sense it."

For a moment his blue eyes met her brown ones, before he nodded.

"Suzanna?The elders are ready for you now." Markus said,peeking around the corner "you two will have to wait outside."

Langdon nodded while Richter only stared at him, but before he could try and stop her, Giglia had already followed Markus.

Once inside she quickly scanned the room, it was large and everything seemed to be made out of wood. But there were only two people waiting for her. Both men were dressed in olive green suits, one of them was dark, the other one older and greying.

"Mein Gott,it is her." the older man on the left breathed while the other one just stared at her.

Giglia looked at them shyly, a gentle blush creeping over her face.

"I'm afraid I can't remember either one of you". she apologised.

"No matter, child." the dark man finally spoke "we will tell you a story, your story!"

"Come here." the old one spoke again, smiling at her gently, and Giglia did as she was told, shaking visibly.

"You don't have to be afraid. While we tell you your story, we have some old photographs...maybe they will help you remember."

Giglia nodded and took them with shaking hands. She could see a young girl with golden curls and soft brown eyes following a man in a burgundy robe, though she did not recognise the man, the girl was unmistakeably her.

"Your name is Suzanna D'espoir, you are the daughter of our late master Michel. He gave you this bracelet on your first birthday, so you might wear it when you were old enough and it would fit you. Engraved in it were the symbols and words of our order,enabling you to always come back home. You were Michel's angel, his miracle, for his wife was unable to have children and then ,one day, she fell pregnant. You have your mother's hair and your father's gentle eyes, but to them you looked like an angel. BUt your destiny was always meant to be uneasy..."

"What do you mean?" she whispered timidly.

"You see there is this secret organisation, the Illuminati...they monitored your every move...because to them you are the reincarnation of Mary Magdalene,the whore who should be stoned to death... You were born on the 29th of February which is special in itself, it it wasn't for the miracle surrounding your conception...you're meant to die and if you do, all world will die with you..."

At this the fragile picture frame glided out of her grasp and fell to the floor, smashing into several small pieces. But all Giglia could see was the image of a sun blinding her and the words _"Lucia diavolo"_ before evertyhing went black.

In the meantime another group of cloaked people had gathered. They were standing in a circle facing an altar and in front of them towered another figure.

"Brothers, I have risen from the dead to bring you the news that the whore is very near, very near indeed. My brother told me she is in Vienna, finding out about her life. We will capture her and then we shall destroy her..."


	17. One of your smiles,sunshine of your eyes

**Hi guys!:) Next chapter is up!^^ And I think that this is the chapter many of you have been waiting for!lol I hope I did it justice!;) Feedback is very much needed. I'd also just like to tell you that there are about 3 more chapters to come! Thanks for bearing with me!:)**

**Disclaimer: I own Giglia and I'm very proud of that!;)**

_One of your smiles,sunshine of your eyes_

Giglia felt herself floating in and out of consciousness. Sometimes she could hear voices talking to her, asking her to return, but she wanted to stay in the warm darkness that surrounded her. Opening her eyes would mean meeting the daylight which inevitably meant facing reality, and she just wasn't ready for that yet. Now she could feel someone running a hand through her hair and she caught the whiff of a wonderful scent that was strangely familiar. The touch and the scent triggered a memory in her, someone carrying her...she had looked up to see who it was and had looked into a pair of piercing blue eyes, a tired smile had crossed her face before her head slumped back against the man's chest and she could smell his scent...it had been the same man who was stroking her now.

"I told you it was too dangerous to let her enter the room on her own." that man now said.

"Nobody attacked her though." another male voice replied.

"No, but she clearly got some bad news. We should've been there with her, but you always know better..."

"Listen to me,Richter, just because Giglia likes you that doesn't..."

"Enough!Both of you!" a female voice now cut in "Go out and get some air.I don't want the first thing Gi hears when she wakes up is the two of you arguing."

Giglia felt the soft pressure of someone's hand against her skin and then the door was closed. She tried her best to open her eyes, at first everything was blurry before it finally came back into focus and she could make out a young woman standing at the window.

"Victoria?" she asked,her voice sounding hoarse.

"Hey, you are finally awake." the woman replied smiling warmly at her.

"What happened?" she whispered.

"Well, Robert and Richter went to the freemasons with you and they wanted to speak with you on your own. You must've got some bad news,because one of the brothers suddenly came out to tell Robert that you had fainted."

And slowly it started to come back to her.

_"You're meant to die and if you do, all world will die with you..." one of the brothers had told her, the picture frame had glided out of her grasp and shattered on the floor. She could feel herself fainting, when Markus' voice had said "Go and get her friends. She needs to be taken home." and while the other brother had done so,Markus had whispered to her "It needn't be like this.I know that the priest poisoned you,you shall go to him and sacrifice yourself. As long as you're able to give your life willingly,the world will not be affected by your death and your loved ones will not die."_

Giglia pressed her eyes shut,swallowing down sickness. What choice did she have? But her inner struggle was put to an end when the door flew open and Richter entered the room.

"I know it was a rather brief walk,Vetra, but I..." and then his eyes fell onto her "you're awake?"

"Yes, but only just." Giglia joked softly,attempting to laugh but suddenly choking on it. Her throat was burning and her mouth felt dry, so she coughed, retching more and more. Her eyes rapidly scanned the room until she found a pack of tissues on the nightstand next to her. She hastily opened it and pressed the tissue to her mouth,wiping a substance from her lips.

"What's wrong?" Richter asked,sitting down next to her and eyeing her worriedly.

Giglia looked at the tissue and a silent sob escaped her lips: drops of blood had drenched it.

"I think I'm dying." she whispered.

At this Victoria sprang into action. "I will go and call Robert,he's got all your injections." and she raced out of the room.

"You are not going to die." Richter said sternly,taking another tissue which he placed into a bowl of water that was also standing next to her. Giglia looked up at him, although his features were hard his eyes were filled with sadness. As he put the damp tissue onto her forehead,Giglia reached for his hand.

"I will try to fight it as long as I can." she tried to reassure him.

But before he could answer Langdon entered the room.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here,Gi." he apologised swiftly,while getting one of the injections ready. "You look so pale." he muttered while he worked "you will have to stay in bed for a few days, but don't worry we'll find a way to help you."

"No,Robert,I won't." she argued gently "there is only one thing I want to do and that is spend time with the three of you.I want us all to go out tomorrow one more time."

"Giglia,what are you talking about?" Langdon said,sounding exasperated "you aren't well, we will find a way to help you,trust me."

"No,Robert, I won't allow it. I am going to die and I will not spend my last days on my own. We will go out tomorrow and we will enjoy life one more time."

"But-but..." Langdon muttered "you're too weak to walk...how can you possibly go out?"

"Langdon, we will do as she says. If she's too weak then we'll carry her." Richter said in a voice that left no room for argument.

The next evening Victoria was helping Giglia to get dressed.

"You must all think I'm mad, I'm clearly in no state to go out."

"I don't think you're mad." Victoria replied gently while running a brush through Giglia's golden curls "I think you're probably the bravest girl I've met. You're very realistic...I know that Robert doesn't understand, but that's only because he thinks you've given up. But he's actually the one running away from the truth. I know that things are looking very bad and therefore I understand that you're trying to make the most out of it."

"Do you think Max understands?" Giglia whispered.

"Yes,probably more than any of us." Victoria said nodding and then added "there,all done. Now only a bit of rouge and you look perfectly healthy."

Giglia smiled tiredly and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a midnight blue,kneelong dress that was tied around the waist by a black ribbon. But every time she looked at her face in the mirror she grew more and more afraid, she was very pale and had dark circles under her eyes. She knew that Victoria had been trying to be nice, but not even rouge could hide the fact that she was seriously ill. Just then a soft knock on the door brought her back to reality. Both Richter and Langdon entered the room wearing suits.

"You look very handsome." Victoria said to Langdon and gave him a hug.

In the meantime Richter had appeared behind Giglia, he softly placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered "You look very beautiful."

Giglia smiled back at him through the mirror, a soft blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked and she nodded, linking her arm with his.

In the end they had decided to go to a lounge bar that was just across the street from the hotel. They all sat down for a while, watching other couples on the dancefloor, before Robert got up and asked Victoria to dance with him. Richter and Giglia sat in quiet for a bit, Giglia was sipping on her water watching Victoria and Robert sway to the rythm of the music.

"Are you afraid of dying?" Richter suddenly asked her.

Giglia thought about his question for a moment while looking into his blue eyes. "No, not really. I am afraid of decisions that lie ahead and I doubt that I will be strong enough to cope with the fear in my loved ones' eyes, it's difficult enough to see that you're afraid."

She could tell that he was trying to look neutral, but it was too late for that.

"I would very much like to dance with you." she suddenly said with a big grin on her face.

Richter looked perfectly gobsmacked before nodding in agreement. And soon they were,too, moving to the soft music of "Scotch&Soda" in the background. They had been dancing for quite some time before Giglia noticed how close they had gotten. Their bodies were touching now with no gap between them and even their heads had moved closer together, so much that Giglia's cheek kept brushing against Richter's. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, sending shivers down her spine but the comfortable feeling only lasted for a second.

"Max..."she breathed,a small cough escaping her lips "I need to leave now."

He reacted instantly, took her hand in a firm hold and pulled her through the crowd and outside the bar. The cold night air felt soothing on her warm body but she still kept retching, splashing blood onto the pavement. She soon began to shake so badly that she had to grab hold of Richter to steady her.

"I think I'm going to pass out." she said her voice trembling while she tried to take deep breaths of air.

"Don't worry, I will get you home." Richter replied and picked her up in his arms.

Even though she felt comfortable in his arms she knew that the dizzyness would soon overpower her, she could already feel the darkness beckoning.

"Max..." she whispered once again "before I die, I want you to know that I love you." and with her last strength she pushed herself up to brush her blood-stained lips against his.

"I won't let you die." he replied fiercely, pulling her tiny frame closer against him.


	18. You can run,but you cannot hide

**I thought it was about time I updated this story!:) It's incredible to think about this but the next chapter will be the big finale and then there's only the Epilogue to write and then it's done!Please read&review as always, I can still always use helpful feedback!!**

**Disclaimer: Giglia is mine, the rest of the gang isn't...**

_You can run,but you cannot hide_

She must have blacked out at some she could remember was clinging onto him as if her life depended on it, all the while focusing on his blue eyes. But even that became too complicated after some time, her vision began to blur and his eyes started to fade out of sight.

When she awoke again everything around her was pitchblack,completely cloaked in darkness. She still had trouble keeping her eyes open, every once in a while her eyelids began to flutter shut. She allowed them to close for a moment, while listening intently, in order to find out more about her surroundings. Someone was lying close to her, she could feel it,sense the warmth of another body. And she could also hear calm,regular breathing. When the dark became warm and comforting again and almost too seductive, she forced herself to open her eyes. She carefully moved her head to see that Richter was lying next to her, probably fallen asleep while watching over her. A weak cough escaped her lips and that was all it took to wake him up.

"Sorry I was being so dramatic." she whispered,her voice still sounding hoarse.

"You gave me such a fright." he quietly replied.

And that simple statement, the fact that he wasn't denying his fear anymore, was enough to make Giglia worry. He gently brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her skin.

"I don't want things to be so complicated anymore between us." he said gently,almost shyly.

She couldn't help but smile at this and replied: "It won't be,Max. I'm afraid we don't have the time for that anymore."

"Will you stop talking about your death?" he pleaded, drawing her against his body.

She gave him a serious look, her eyes never leaving his: "It's time to be realistic. You are the one I can always count on to be direct with me, no matter how negative things might be."

"Yes, but maybe I'm just sick of being a realist. Maybe I'm ready now to dive into your fantasy world."

"No,you're not."Giglia contradicted softly "It would only hurt you more later on."

And she burried her head in his chest. They lay perfectly still for a few moments until Richter could feel her tears soaking his shirt.

"Don't cry." he whispered "Are you hurting?"

But she merely looked at him,sadness and fear mixed in her gaze. He carefully moved closer,wiping her tears away with his finger.

"You are of such divine beauty." he whispered,cupping her face with his hands and kissing her tenderly. Soon the kiss deepened, her tongue finding his. His fingers brushed over the skin of her shoulder, moving the straps of her dress out of the way. When his lips made contact with her skin again Giglia felt her entire body beginning to tremble.

"Are you alright?" he asked ,suddenly the concerned tone was back in his voice.

"Yeah." she whispered breathlessly "Please don't stop!"

He didn't reply,just nodded vaguely and then continued kissing her skin. He gently pushed up her dress,kissing and licking every inch of skin that was laid bare. Eventually he pulled the dress over her head and removed it entirely. He continued to tease her like this for quite some time, before he finally gently took her. He was afraid to hurt her but at the same time knew that it was what she wanted, he held her light body close to him,never wanting to part.

Later on that night Giglia awoke again. She heaved a sad sigh upon finding his arms resting around her waist. They had made love and still it hadn't changed anything about the things she had to do. She turned around to face him and gently brushed her lips against his, he merely grunted in his sleep,but didn't wake up. She quietly slipped out of bed and moved to her wardrobe to put on some clothes. She contemplated for a moment to leave him a note but then decided against it, it would only make things harder and God knows, she couldn't afford to falter. She opened the door only for an inch so she could sneak out. To her surprise she found Robert sitting in front of the room,fast asleep on a chair. She gently squeezed his hand,blinking away the tears. It was for their sakes, she kept telling herself, if she wasn't alive and couldn't have been used as the secret weapon, all those people she cared for wouldn't be in so much danger now.

She walked towards the Hofreitschule where Markus had told her she would always find him. Halfway there though she felt her body weaken again,another wave of coughs overwhelmed her but nonetheless she kept pushing on. She just couldn't allow herself to faint now, not when everyone's lives depended on it. She struggled up the stairs of the building,spitting blood as she went. Finally she tumbled into the great hall.

"Ah,Suzanna.I'd hoped you would come."

"Markus..."she breathed weakly,holding on to the wall for support "I'm willing to sacrifice myself."

"We're so glad to hear you say that." a silky voice whispered from the shadows and a minute later she was surrounded by cloaked figures,they handcuffed her and dragged her lifeless figure with them.

Just then Robert awoke with a start, his green eyes widening in shock.


	19. Everything put together

**I can't believe that I'm saying this:but this is the final,real chapter!:) The next one will only be the Epilogue in which a few more questions will be answered. In the meantime,I hope you enjoy this chapter!:) And I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update, but it's exam time and I'm crazy busy. Please read&review!**

**Disclaimer: GIglia belongs to me and Markus...the rest is all Dan Brown's!:)**

_Everything put together_

He wasn't sure how he knew it but instinctively he could feel that something was very wrong. He shook his head,trying to clear it from the sleepiness that had taken hold of him. Slowly he pushed himself out of the chair he had been sitting in and quietly opened the door to his left an inch wide. It was so dark inside it, though, that he couldn't make anything out.

_ "Richter will kill me for this." _he thought as he hesitantly stepped inside. And really, it was like the feeling in his gut had indicated, only Richter was lying on the bed,Giglia was nowhere to be seen. He shook himself out of his stupor and woke Richter up.

"What?What the hell do you think you're doing in here,Langdon?" Richter asked,his voice gruff when he realised who had pulled him out of his sleep.

"Giglia is gone. Get dressed,we have to go and find her!"

He then hurried back to his room where he found Victoria peacefully asleep in bed.A gentle smile crossed his features as he quietly tip-toed through the room to get his bag. Just when he had finished stowing a few more things away,Victoria's voice startled him:

"Where are you going?" she still sounded groggy from sleep.

"Giglia is gone...so Richter and I are going to find her,you just wait here."

"You must think I'm stupid!Giglia and I are just as much friends as you are and I've seen the frail state she is in.I will come with you."

"No,it's far too dangerous,you have to stay here."

"Exactly:it's dangerous,so I'm not going to let you go there on your own."

"He won't be alone."Richter's voice interrupted "and now hurry up,we don't have time for discussions."

Victoria glared at Langdon in triumph and quickly went to change.

Half an hour later they arrived at the Hofreitschule where a completely dishevelled looking Markus was already waiting for them.

"Have you seen Gi-I mean Suzanna?"Langdon inquired breathlessly.

"I'm so sorry!" the man replied,tears forming in his eyes "she came here out of the blue,I tried to warn her but his men were quicker...she was so weak already that she didn't have the strength to took her away to their headquarters.."

"Who are they?" Richter asked roughly.

"The illuminati...our worst enemies...they have taken I can tell you where she's being held captive!"

"You better do so quickly and if I find out that you've got something to do with this I swear I'm going to kill you!" Richter threatened,grabbing Markus by his shirt.

Giglia awoke with a start when something cool and wet hit her face. She blinked in confusion and opened her eyes. She still felt shaky all over and it seemed as if she spent half of the time now drifting in and out of consciousness. The drops of water that kept falling onto her head were nice and cool but after a while the cold in the room became too penetrating. She huddled together in a corner,trying to keep some warmth in her body. Looking around the dark room she assumed that she was being kept in a cellar-it was moist and cold and there was no window in sight. She rubbed her temples wondering what the exact plans of the Illuminati were from now on and prayed that Richter hadn't noticed her absence yet. But how could she be sure of that?She didn't even know what time of day it was. Just then her thoughts were interrupted as the door was flung open and two men appeared.

"The master says it's time to get you." one of them said in a dull voice.

She shakily got to her feet and approached them. The other man handcuffed her and pushed her forwards,indicating her to start walking. After what seemed like an eternity they reached the main hall,when they entered it a dozen heads turned in her direction and a whispering started among the masses.

"Aaah,there you are my sweet." a man in a large burgundy robe addressed her "I'm glad you could join us and I hope the poison hasn't weakened you too much yet.I need you to stay with us for just a moment longer,if not...well,I've got this antidote here that will cure you enough to pay attention again...You see,your friends are on their way and they will soon be here."

"But...I don't understand."she replied weakly "Markus told me to come here and sacrifice myself,if I do then you won't harm them."

"Well,sorry to tell you that,but he was lying. You're not really the person I am interested in..."

She shook her head in disbelief "But..but...it doesn't make sense...why would you poison me and..."

"Patience,dear,you'll soon find out."

As if on cue the door burst open and Langdon,Victoria and Richter entered. Upon seeing the man in the burgundy robe all three of them stared in disbelief.

"But I saw you die..." Richter pressed through clenched teeth.

"All is not what it seems,my dear Commandante."

Langdon seemed to be the first to recover from the shock of seeing the Camerlegno alive and said:"What have you done to her?"

"Ah professor Langdon,always keen to play the hero...I've done nothing... yet. After all,she came to me willingly." and he patted Giglia's head who flinched.

"Why would she do that?"Victoria questioned.

"Because I told her to."Markus said appearing at the door.

"Why you miserable little worm!" Richter seethed "You're lucky that she's still alive,otherwise I'd kill you now."

"But why would I harm her further,dear Commandante?After all,it is not her that I want."

"I don't understand...what do you mean?" he muttered approaching the Camerlegno slowly.

"Suzanna has been an angel,nothing more but a willing servant. She has done a very good job and now I've finally got you where I want you."

"You lie!Giglia would never help you...and why would you poison your servant?"

"To ensure her loyalty,of course. Just lately she seemed to grow a little...too soft. I had to make sure she would still co-operate."

"I don't know what you're talking about."she hissed at him.

"Oh sweetheart,don't you remember?I forgot...you really don't,do you?" and an evil grin appeared on his face "Markus,would you please show these unbelieving souls the tape?"

And to their great surprise a screen came down from the ceiling and they all looked at it-mesmerised. On the tape were several situations in which Giglia was shown conferring with the Camerlegno and she was also seen giving the order to kidnap Richter's daughter. She stared at it in shock and disbelief as slowly old memories started to return.

"There you have it, your precious lover has worked for us all along. She set you up,killed your daughter,made you weak and made you fall in love with her. All just to bring you to me."

"But that doesn't make any sense." Richter barked,unable to believe what was happening right in front of his eyes.

"But it does. You know something,Commandante...something that we really want to know. You were involved in a top-secret mission that would provide new evidence for the Big Bang Theory...a theory which undermines our own beliefs,it would lead to further secularisation of the world if made public. But you wouldn't tell just exactly what you had discovered to your old partner,would you?So we had to get to you by other means. And so I decided to take everything from you that was important and Suzanna here was my best servant. And now that you have fallen in love with her I was sure you would come here because you're too afraid to lose another woman just like you lost Franca."

A moment of silence passed in which Richter tried to find Giglia's eyes. When she saw his blue eyes pleading with her,tears started to fall as she shook her head in defeat.

"I can't deny it..."she whispered as more tears threatened to fall "but you have to listen to me. I had no choice,he threatened...he would..."

"So you remember now,do you?!How convenient!And I thought all this time you were innocent...I should've trusted my natural instinct from the moment I laid eyes on you. You are nothing but a traitor!"

"Max,please!I really couldn't remember it and I.."

"Shut up!You killed my beautiful daughter and to think that I would fall in love with you...you disgust me!"

And once Giglia saw the coldness return to his eyes,she knew it was over.

"Come on now,Richter.I need to know what you discovered and afterwards I'm afraid I'm going to have to kill you."

"No,I won't say anything." Richter replied and got out his gun.

"Too predictable."the Camerlegno laughed and a moment later two guards had taken hold of Richter, while a third one kicked him in the stomach and took away his gun.

"No!" Giglia screamed and threw herself at the Camerlegno,clawing at him,biting and kicking him.

"Get off me,wretched girl!"he yelled and hit her hard in the face so that she stumbled down the steps and hit the floor with her head in a sickening crunch.A second later a gunshot was fired,followed by many others and a loud explosion. Richter had turned around to Langdon,dumbstruck.

"What can I say?I took your "never leave the house without a gun" lecture to heart." he said grimmly and Victoria,also carrying a gun,nodded her head in agreement.

Soon they were struggling against a number of Illuminati until Langdon managed to break free and run towards Giglia. She was lying on the floor completely still while red liquid was running out from the corner of her mouth. Robert sadly shook his head and allowed himself to cry for a a minute more. Just a moment later Richter appeared by his side.

"Come,we have to leave before this entire place blows up. It's too late for her in anyway."

And with one final glance at Giglia's lifeless body,Langdon got up and left the burning inferno.


	20. Epilogue

**Hi guys!:) So here's the Epilogue to this story, I know that some of you will be disappointed but somehow this ending felt right to leaves room for a sequel too,should I ever decide to write one. I just wanna say thank you to all the lovely people who read this and reviewed!:) I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Langdon or Richter etc. but I do own Giglia and I'm proud of her!:)**

_Epilogue_

Robert was sitting in a hospital room,waiting patiently for the woman on his right to wake up. As he looked down at Giglia's fragile body, he still couldn't quite believe how she had managed to pull through.

_It had all been a group effort really. The moment they had entered the hall,Victoria had given him a certain look. He had followed her glance,only to find that she was looking at a glass containing red liquid. He had looked back at her again,only nodding slightly. It was because of Victoria that he had managed to get the antidote;while everyone was fighting,she had hurried to the throne to retrieve it. WHen she had passed it to him,he had knelt down beside Giglia's lifeless body forcing the antidote down her throat drop by drop. At first he had thought that it hadn't worked...but then slowly,her eyes had fluttered open._

_ "Robert..." she had whispered. _

_"Ssh,it's alright. Victoria helped me get the antidote. You're going to be fine,but we need to get you into hospital." _

_"No..."she had replied,with surprising strength in her voice "the minute you try and rescue me,all their attention will shift to you.I couldn't bear to lose you,too..." _

_"Gi,I'm not leaving here with you." _

_"Go,leave me here.I promise you,I'll manage!" she hissed and then her eyes had drifted shut again "he's coming...don't let him know I'm still alive..." _

_He couldn't help but cry then,cry for both their sakes and the life they could've had. That was when Richter arrived and forced him to flee. But once they were clear off the building,Victoria had made up some excuse for him and he had waited,until he thought he couldn't stand it any longer. He was willing her to appear,to make it out of the burning building, but when the minutes ticked by he finally made the decision to run back inside. He found her lying on the floor in one of the corridors,she was unconscious. He lifted her up and although it took all of his strength,he carried her outside where they both collapsed._

"Robert?" her voice brought him back to reality now.

"Hush,you're going to be alright." he answered softly,squeezing her hand.

"You saved my life...why would you do that?"

"Giglia,you promised me you'd survive and when you didn't emerge from the inferno I had no other choice.I couldn't just let you die..."

"Thank you,you're a wonderful friend." she hesitated for a moment,contemplating her next question "does he...does he know?"

"He doesn't know you survived,no. He thought I'd ran back in to help you but that I didn't find you. He wouldn't come to see me in hospital...we were never that close in anyway...he's returned to Rome already."

She sighed quietly and he could see tears shimmering in her eyes.

"I never meant to hurt him,Robert. I couldn't remember until that night...The Camerlegno had my parents,he threatened to kill them if I didn't cooperate...so I had to play my part well. That was until I met Max...until I fell in love. But the Camerlegno realised this and left me to his hassassin,he didn't care what he'd do to me,as long as he didn't kill me but destroyed my memory."

"I believe you." Robert replied,smiling weakly at her.

"I know you do, but I wish he could've learned the truth..."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know yet. But I'll be alright..."

But he saw the emptiness in her eyes and knew that she was lying,for he had seen that exact same emptiness in Richter's eyes...


End file.
